1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related generally to windscreen wiper device and, more particularly, to the connector devices of windscreen wiper devices.
2. Related Art
Windscreen wiper devices typically fall into one of three basic categories: conventional, beam and hybrid. Conventional blades utilize a frame structure which consists of a system of yokes arranged in a tournament-style construction to distribute a biasing force from an oscillating wiper arm across a length of an elastomeric wiper blade. Beam blades utilize a carrier element, which typically includes one or more longitudinal strips of spring steel, to distribute the biasing force along the length of the wiper strip. Hybrid blades typically include both a frame structure and a carrier element to distribute the biasing force from the wiper arm.
In beam blades, a connecting device is attached directly to the carrier element. In some cases, the connecting device is glued/bonded with the carrier element, and in others, the connecting device is ultrasonically welded with the carrier element. However, the gluing, bonding and/or welding operations take time and add to the cost of making the windscreen wiper device.